Shortly before the start of the league season, SpVg Schonnebeck had another highlight—and at the same time, another dress rehearsal—in the form of a friendly match against MSV Duisburg.

For SpVg Schonnebeck, the winter break will finally come to an end this coming weekend. Following the successful 3-1 dress rehearsal against TSG Sprockhövel on January 25, a high-caliber opponent awaited them. On Tuesday evening (January 27), the second-place team in the Oberliga Niederrhein faced off against MSV Duisburg and lost 0-5.

However, the score told a different story than what actually happened on the field. Schonnebeck was incredibly solid defensively, especially in the first half, and made it difficult for the 3. Liga leader to create chances. They succeeded brilliantly, as the opposition never really posed a serious threat in the first half.

As a result, coach Dirk Tönnies was extremely satisfied: “The first 60 to 70 minutes were very good. We even had a huge chance in the first half off a corner kick, where an MSV player cleared the ball almost on the line. We did very well there.”

In the second half, however, the “Schwalben” lost their structure a bit. “Then you concede an unlucky penalty that makes it 0–1, but you continue to play well and with courage afterward. The last ten minutes are a bit disappointing because they don’t reflect what we accomplished in the rest of the match. However, it’s by no means a setback. Most of the guys came straight from training, so it’s clear that their energy would eventually run out,” said the Schonnebeck coach, who has been on the Schwalben’s bench since November 2008.

We have something to make up for from the first leg. We want to get off to a strong start and are hoping for a good turnout. Derbies are always something special, but we still have fond memories of the first leg

Dirk Tönnies

He added: “The important thing was that we developed that tenacity when defending. We did that very well in the first 60 to 65 minutes. That’s the foundation for us to play a strong second half of the season.”

Speaking of the second half of the season: Action resumes in the Oberliga Niederrhein this weekend, February 1. Trailing league-leading Ratingen by six points, absolutely anything is possible for the second half of the 25/26 season.

At Schetters Busch, Spielvereinigung will host DJK Adler Union Frintrop. So the season kicks off with a derby. “We have something to make up for from the first leg. We want to get off to a strong start right away and are hoping for a good turnout. Derbies are always something special, but we still have fond memories of the first leg. The guys have had a good preseason, and we’re looking forward to the game,” Tönnies summed up.